


stars aligned

by RyeFo



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Cooking, Friendship, Gen, Stars, written for the 2019 aspiro zine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-29 18:36:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20086873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyeFo/pseuds/RyeFo
Summary: “I don’t know how all… this is going to pan out. Maybe we’ll end up on opposite sides again, I don’t know.” He frowned as he brushed Ezran’s hair from his eyes, and Rayla’s vision of him began to blur. “But Ezran won’t grow up with adults telling him humans and elves can't live alongside each other.” He swallowed. “Even if it’s just a storybook, I just… wanted there to be some sort of proof that we managed to.”Rayla thoughts drifted to the binding. The words. The declaration she’d made her entire identity.Screw it all. She had no room for hate anymore.“We’re doing it right.” She croaked out, looking at Ezran. “Others should get it through their thick heads; it’s always been possible.”





	stars aligned

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2019 Aspiro charity zine. <3

“Okay.  _ That _ one can’t have a name—”

“The  _ Arini Cluster _ .” Rayla could feel Ezran’s pout as she continued her definition, “The Startouch Elves named that collection of stars after a wayward traveler supposedly met a large bird who spoke every word he thought.”

Ezran sat himself up and sunk his cheek onto his fist. “We don’t have nearly as many cool stories as you do.”

Rayla opened an eye. “Is this your way of telling me I win the bet?”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re a nerd.” Ezran flopped against her shoulder as Rayla sat up next to him. “Can’t help that Elves have better stories. Must’ve been great being told those before bed.”

There was silence from the Moonshadow Elf, quietly tracing her bound wrist with small, scar-flecked fingers.

“Rayla?”

“Huh?” She shook her head, ignoring the tight twinge at the beady eyes staring up at her. “Sorry, spaced out for a second.” She poked his nose and held out a hand. “I believe somebody owes me my winnings.”

“…That was an awful pun, and you know it.” Ezran pouted, placing his last jelly tart in her hand. “Man, and I thought we had more. Mom’s old study was full of star maps, wasn’t it, Callum?”

“Hm, I think so.” Callum dipped a finger into the stew and then his mouth to test the taste, and merely sighed at the lack of flavour. “ _ What I wouldn’t give for seasonings right now…” _ Swallowing the taste to the back of his throat, he carried on stirring. “Though the Startouch Elves get their magic from the stars, so I think they charted out that territory.”

Ezran dead-panned. “Not you too, bro.”

Callum just grinned, before something clicked in his head. “Wait, Rayla. The clusters you mentioned—they came from Startouch Elves?”

“Yup.” Rayla picked Ezran up and used his hair as a chin-rest. “I know that look on your face. Ask away, nerd.”

“I resent that term.” He took the wooden spoon out and let the contents fall into Bait’s open mouth—who proceeded to choke it out. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad_—_oh, whatever.”

He let Bait drag himself to the nearby river and dunk his head into the water. “The words, they sound like the old language used in some magic chants. Like the  _ Aspiro _ spell. Is there a connection?”

“Someone’s been paying attention.” Callum opened his mouth to retort, but Rayla cut him off. “You’re almost there. Watch.” Holding her hands out, Rayla began to concentrate, her eyes gently lighting up. “ _ Arini Tacere Resonare. _ ”

Ezran and Callum shared a transfixed look as Rayla’s lips remained sealed. “ _ Impressed?” _

“Wait for a second,” Ezran stared hard at her face, then snapped his gaze back to Callum. “She’s not moving her mouth!”

_ “Duh, you remember the legend I told you, right?”  _ Ezran gawked at Rayla.  _ “It’s an individual mind-reader spell. But—" _

The magic suddenly faded, Rayla holding her head as Ezran steadied her. “Hey, are you okay?”

She blinked fast. “Yeah, just—that spell gives me a headache.” She massaged her temples, her other hand patting Ezran on the head. “Don’t worry, I’m okay. That’s just an advanced spell, even for me.”

“There’s nothing like that in our books at home!” Callum’s mind was whirring away, abandoning the dinner to write down the notes into his book. “Well, I mean, we don’t have much access to the old magic in general—at least, they’d never let me look in—but that’s incredible! We’ve only got word-reversal spells, this is the original stuff!”

Rayla’s watched as Callum scribbled, bit her lip, and turned her head away.

“Rayla?” Ezran put his hand on her shoulder. “Are you still feeling weird?”

“I’m fine, Ezra—” Rayla raised a brow. “Don’t think I can’t see your hand trying to get that tart of yours back.”

“Aw!” He sunk against her, smirking against her arm. “Here’s thinking you wouldn’t notice me.”

“I  _ always _ notice you, my wee-lad.”

* * *

“Callum.” Ezran pulled on his brother’s sleeve. “ _ Callum. _ ”

“ _ Yes,  _ Ez?” He raised a brow at his brother’s puppy-dog-eyed expression, but paid it no heed and turned back to his book. “Okay, you want something. You’ve got the  _ look. _ ”

“There’s a farm over there.”

“Why yes, there is.”

“With  _ chickens.” _

Rayla furrowed her brows at the ensuring conversation, letting her daggers rest at her side. Callum threw her a quick smirk, confusing her even more, before poking Ezran in the forehead.

“No hinting, Ez. Outright, or I ignore it.”

“ _ Please,  _ can I go get the stuff for the tarts.  _ Please.  _ I’ve only got three left.” Ezran clasped his brother’s hand. “I understand we’ve got a mission to go on, but I cannot deprive Bait. Look, he’s  _ starving to death. _ ”

Rayla craned her head. Bait blinked, before dramatically flopping onto his back. Ezran’s eyes darted in urgency. “ _ See?” _

“Hm, that  _ is  _ troubling.”

Rayla gawked. “He looks _f_ _ ine  _ to me _ — _ ”

“_Starving. To. Death._” Ezran’s beady eyes widened. “Callum, have _mercy_.”

Callum said nothing, simply gesturing with his pencil towards the farm. Ezran dashed to hug his brother before  _ darting  _ away, hollering all the while.

“What is  _ happening. _ ” Rayla shook off her confusion, watching as Bait nonchalantly followed behind Ezran. “I—have no idea what’s happening. Is it wise to let him run off alone?”

Callum kept his eyes trained on his journal, sharpening his pencil before scribbling away again. “Count to ten.”

She ignored the unease, folding her arms. “Why do I need to—”

“And three… two—Rayla move from the campfire please—and  _ one— _ ”

_ “GOT THE STUFF!”  _ Ezran came skidding in, dumping an  _ armful  _ of raw ingredients down onto the grass, though he made sure to delicately placing the chicken’s egg down.

“How did you get the egg, Ez.”

“Uh, because I  _ asked  _ her _ .  _ Duh.”

“Right.” Callum shook his head. “Animals talk to you. Have to get used to that.”

* * *

Humans, it seemed, would never cease to confuse her. Rayla had watched the last half hour of Ezran peeking over at the bowl, seeing Callum fold the ‘batter’ (mixture? Maybe?) until enough ‘oxygen’ (air? She guessed?) had entered. 

She’d observed Ezran wasting time he could have been spending making tools or allies he’d have in these lands, but instead making a makeshift oven out of a nearby ruin and setting them into baking.

“So, let me get this straight.” She watched as the tarts began to rise from inside the oven. “You’re wasting several items worth of food, some of which could be more beneficial in the long run, to make… _ tarts. _ ”

_ “And _ the jam.” Callum rose the spoon. “Well, less jam and more mushed up berries. You cool with that, Ez?” 

Ezran raised a hand and gave him a two-fingered salute, before going back to cleaning up. Callum returned it in kind.

She couldn’t help but gawk. “That makes  _ no  _ sense. We had supplies and—”

“You enjoy them, right?”

Ezran’s voice caught her off-guard. “Well, yes. They’re nice.” She shook her head. “Not the point I’m making!”

“I know!” Ezran stuck his tongue out and scrubbed  _ hard  _ on the pot. “Damn this won’t come out—oh, fiddlesticks.” He gave his arm a break and dumped another glass of water onto the stain. “What stuff did you usually eat?”

The confusion on her face softened. “What?”

“Did you have stuff like this?”

Rayla rubbed the back of her neck. “Well, not… exactly. I mainly focused on training—for the, well…” The words never left her mouth, the implication left hanging over their heads. “No, I didn’t.”

Ezran shrugged. “Mom always said food like this used to bring people together. This is part of our home.” He began chipping away at the stain, piece by piece falling into the grey water. “All kinds of animals gather for water, but they never talk. It’s basic survival. Humans—and elves, I guess—are different. We like to talk to each other, even if it’s to argue. Food’s a good mediator for that.”

Her expression softened further. “You’re using these as… a social tool?”

“I mean, I guess.” Ezran looked up at her with a cheeky grin. “That’s a bit too complicated for this. All I know is you like them, and we like you. Kind of builds a bridge, right?”

Stunned into silence, Rayla sheathed her blades and craned her head to see Callum taking the tarts out of the makeshift oven. She could practically  _ hear  _ Ezran buzzing with excitement behind her—

“Uh-uh, Ez. No tarts until you finish cleaning.”

“But—!”

“Rayla?” Blinking, she saw one tart offered to her. “Care for the first try?”

She gently took it into her hands. It was crumbling a little, the innermost part looking a little undercooked, and there were trails of mushed berries and sugar where Callum had tried to clumsily cut out a star-center.

The smell was tart, sweet, and something almost  _ foreign  _ to her. She snapped it in half. “I think Bait deserves some of this, too. He’s starving to death, right?”

Her grin reached her ears at the sound of her friend’s laughter, and her heart  _ sang. _

* * *

The star stories had continued, to the delight of Ezran, and so had Callum’s interest in writing it all down. Rayla’s stories continued to spin, along with the knots of discomfort in her stomach, yet even she became lost in the tales that Runaan fed her curious mind in childhood.

But even firelight dies to a gentle ember, and it wasn’t long before Ezran’s ability to stay awake faltered. His head lay in Callum’s lap, his feet propped up on Rayla’s calf, and Rayla’s last words to him were as quiet as the night breeze passing through their dimming idle conversations.

Rayla couldn’t help but grin looking at him. “He’s a heavy sleeper, ay?” She dared not nudge her legs, despite the numbness. “So much energy to burn, yet out like a light when night comes.”

“Pros of being a kid, I guess.” Callum’s face was still stuck in his book. “World caters to you in most circumstances.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips. “Maybe.”

“You alright?”

Years of training never prepared her for emotional shocks, and she faltered, shoulders tensing. “Wh—me? I’m—”

“If you say you’re fine, I’ll wake Ezran up. I  _ know  _ you can’t lie to him.”

_ “Neither can you." _ She grumbled, folding her arms. When Callum’s hooked brow didn’t quash itself, she began to rub one arm and sighed. “Callum, we’re… friends, right?”

“Sure.” The way he had no hesitation saying so made her troubled heart leap. “You doubted it?”

“Considering the circumstances? You’d have every reason not to trust me.”

“We do, though.”

“I know.” Rayla bit her lip, looking down. “Which makes… how I’m feeling kind of hypocritical, you get me?”

She didn’t realise how black the world had gotten until she snapped her eyes open to the feeling of a tart being placed on her lap. Callum pressed his fingers to his lips, pointing down at Ezran, and she blinked in astonishment before returning the smile.

“Thanks.” She mumbled mid-bite. Swallowing it down, she forced the words out. “The notes you’re keeping. It’s making me nervous.”

“Notes?” Callum frowned, before his eyes widened, head snapping to look at his book. “Oh, my journal.” He began to rub the back of his neck. “God—of course—I’m sorry, I didn’t think—”

“I do trust you,” Rayla cut in. “I just—look, I know your loyalty is with your people, I can’t question that—”

“My loyalty?” He poked her forehead. “Rayla, you sound  _ old.  _ Quit it for a sec, please?” Lips pursed, Rayla hushed. “First of all, the only people I’m ‘loyal’ to,” he made sure to include air quotes (she’d learned that from Ezran), “are people who I trust. I trust you.” He opened his book up. “But I don’t think you saw  _ what  _ I was writing.” He nudged the book forward. “Here. Look.”

Rayla eyed him up for a moment, before gently taking the journal into her grasp—

What she saw almost made her tear up.

Scrawled upon a two-page spread, and branching out into dozens of other pages, were half-finished,  _ beautiful  _ intricate drawings. Every single legend she’d transcribed from the fragmented history lessons Runaan had told her once upon a time, against a glass rock galaxy backdrop, had been lovingly etched.

As she turned the page,  _ how  _ the narrative had been constructed made her shiver. For in the corner of each page, a white-haired Moonshadow Elf, and two human princes sat beneath a campfire, exchanging tales of their pasts. One elven, the other two humans.

She held the book close to her heart. Callum looked down at Ezran, who clutched the dragon’s egg and Bait in his arms.

“I don’t know how all… this is going to pan out. Maybe we’ll end up on opposite sides again, I don’t know.” He frowned as he brushed Ezran’s hair from his eyes, and Rayla’s vision of him began to blur. “But Ezran won’t grow up with adults telling him humans and elves can't live alongside each other.” He swallowed. “Even if it’s just a storybook, I just… wanted there to be some sort of proof that we managed to.” 

Rayla thoughts drifted to the binding. The words. The declaration she’d made her entire identity.

Screw it all. She had  _ no room  _ for hate anymore.

“We’re doing it right.” She croaked out, looking at Ezran. “Others should get it through their thick heads; it’s always been possible.”

“Yeah.” Callum smiled at her. “It has.”

Any remaining words drifted off into the night, with Callum and Rayla laying down, enclosing Ezran and the dragon’s egg and Bait in a circle, smiling at each other from beyond the border.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment/like if you liked this piece! :)


End file.
